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South Africa – Cape Town Community Aid – Images

Fast Facts

Please Note: This program is temporarily unavailable. Check out our alternative programs in Africa or schedule a one-on-one call with one of our expert volunteer advisors.

Volunteers looking to work in a more mature environment will be able to contribute greatly to this project, as you bring your life experience and share it with underprivileged communities who are seeking development.

Program Highlights:

Experience a cultural exchange as you stay one night per week with a host family from the community, learning about their lives and struggles, as well as contributing to the running of the household
Learn new skills in managing underprivileged communities and as well as which programs have the most positive impact on their development
Make a difference in the lives of children as you help to educate them from a young age
Gain a better understanding of what life in Africa is really like, as you learn about its most prominent issues
Spend your weekends going on adventures such as taking a safari tour or cage diving with sharks

Your Schedule at a Glance (Minimum two-week commitment):

Arrival Day, Monday: Arrive at Cape Town International Airport (CPT). You will be picked up from the airport and taken to your new home in Red Hill. There will be a welcome evening tonight, which will allow you to meet other volunteers and find out more about the program.

Day 1, Tuesday: Begin your morning by assisting teachers at a local pre-school in Red Hill. Work one-on-one with kids who are falling behind and help the teacher offer a better classroom experience. In the afternoon you will either help lead a workshop for the unemployed or assist with an after-school care club for children.

Day 2, Wednesday: Help out at the pre-school again and then move onto working at a women’s support group, or assisting caregivers at a foster care home for children. In the evening learn about how these programs are helping to make a difference in people’s lives and the reality of HIV in Africa.

Day 3, Thursday: After helping out at the pre-school, work with the elderly or help out at the after-school club for children again. In the evening do community development work with adults, before going on an overnight stay with a host family from Red Hill.

Day 4, Friday: Say goodbye to your host family and join a yoga and mindfulness breakfast club, before helping volunteering at the pre-school for the last time this week. After taking some time to plan activities for the week ahead, your weekend can officially begin.

Days 5-6, Saturday-Sunday: The weekends are free to explore Cape Town. Spend some time on the beach or take a safari day tour. The possibilities are endless in South Africa!

Remaining Weeks: The remaining weeks will follow a similar schedule of volunteering Monday-Friday and having Saturday-Sunday off. Use your weekends to go on adventures such as hiking up Table Mountain or cage diving with sharks. You can also get to know more about South Africa’s past by taking a trip to Robben Island. Departures are on a Monday.

Click to see additional volunteering projects in South Africa.

Location of the Project: Red Hill, Cape Town, South Africa

Project length: Min 2 weeks – Max 12 weeks

Arrival Airport: Cape Town International Airport

Volunteer Work: Teaching and community work

Age: 30 – 70. This program accepts volunteers as young as 18, but is recommended for those who are at least 30 years of age.

Number of Volunteers: Up to 3 international volunteers

Important Note: Daily transfers between accommodations and project site included.

What’s Included

Accommodations: Shared rooms in a fully furnished house in Observatory, South Africa. Once a week volunteers will be in a homestay with a local family.

Food: Three meals a day (excluding weekends)

Airport Transfers: Included on arrival and departure days

Orientation: All necessary training and introductions provided upon arrival.

Support: Comprehensive and professional pre-departure travel guidance, 24/7 GoEco emergency hotline, experienced local field team.

What’s not Included

Flights, visas (if required), travel health insurance, personal expenses, meals on weekends

Location

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and is referred to as the ‘The Mother City’ by locals. It has a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years and breathtaking scenery, from the iconic Table Mountain to the glorious Cape beaches. It is a modern city with cosmopolitan areas boasting nightclubs and trendy restaurants, as well as rustic and unique suburbs with quirky markets and cafés. With a comfortable Mediterranean climate, Cape Town is great place to volunteer all year round.

Volunteer Work

Your day will be split into a morning volunteer project and an afternoon project. You will have the opportunity to focus your time and skills at any of these projects:

Morning Projects

Community Pre-schools: This program works with two local preschools serving underprivileged children aged six months to seven years. The aim is to give these children a much needed head start to their education. Here, you will assist with day-to-day needs of the preschool, including helping teachers with lesson plans, providing one-on-one attention for the children when possible, and assisting teachers with the daily school routine.

Afternoon Projects

Community projects: Community projects include leading support groups for young mothers or young pregnant women, leading a women’s group, teaching income-generating skills to the elderly, teaching job readiness workshops to the unemployed or leading fitness classes for children.

Home for vulnerable children: Volunteers on this project will ensure that abused and vulnerable children receive the attention they need and deserve at a community-based foster care. Volunteers add value by planning and implementing creative expression, educational and enriching activities for children 2-16 years of age.

A typical day: You will eat breakfast at 7:00 am before heading off to your morning project at 8:30 am. You will have a lunch break at 12:30 pm and at 2:30 pm it will be time for your afternoon project. You will be picked up from your project at 5:00 pm and brought back to the volunteer accommodations. Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm and you are free to spend your evening as you would like.

Holidays: During school holidays activities may differ from the usual schedule, but the work will be equally engaging and rewarding. Please ask your placement advisor for specific dates.

Living Arrangements

Internet icon Internet: WiFi is available for a small fee.

Laundry icon Laundry: A weekly laundry service is available for a small fee.

Accommodations icon Accommodations: Volunteers will stay in a fully furnished, comfortable house in Muizenberg that is just five minutes from the beach and half an hour away from the Cape Town city center. Volunteers will share a room with 5-7 other volunteers of the same gender and bathrooms are communal. The house is staffed with both a housekeeper and cook, and volunteers have access to a locked safe to store their valuables. Daily transportation between accommodations and project site is provided.

Food icon Food: Three meals a day are provided. Breakfast consists of hot or cold cereal, toast, coffee and tea, and is available on a serve-yourself basis. Lunch and dinner are prepared by the chef at the volunteer house. The chef has the weekends off, and therefore during these days the volunteers will need to purchase and prepare their own food.